Strangely enough, despite Japan's reputation for meticulous calculations, its historical record in executing conspiracies has always been rather poor. The nation's peculiar personality—one that tends to aim high but deliver low—has consistently caused well-laid plans to go awry, often leading to outcomes completely opposite from the original intentions.
Take, for example, the infamous Tanaka Memorial. The plan seemed sound on paper, but when it came to execution, Japan's arrogant military command constantly altered it on a whim. Incidents like the Mukden Incident on September 18th, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7th, and the atrocities committed in Nanjing in December 1937—authorized and tacitly approved by the fool Ishigen Matsui—were all the result of the military's unchecked recklessness. These acts of brutality ignited fierce resistance from China, ultimately dooming Japan's unrealistic dream of conquering China within a few months.
If the overconfident Kwantung Army had not been so eager to expand southward into northern China after taking Manchuria, but had instead focused on fully digesting the vast resources of Manchuria before advancing further, China's War of Resistance might have come at an even greater cost.
Fortunately, divine intervention—or rather, Japan's own obsession with insubordination—combined with the heroic sacrifices of China's predecessors, thwarted Japan's ambitions.
Thus, instead of securing the strategic materials it had hoped for—such as rubber and oil—Japan found itself dragged into a war of attrition in China. Only after realizing it couldn't sustain this costly campaign did Japan turn its attention southward to Southeast Asia. And in its bid to challenge the U.S. for control of the Pacific—gambling on a strategy that sought either total dominance or at least a territorial split along the Hawaiian boundary—Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
That blunder only served to awaken the American giant. The U.S., with its industrial might capable of producing Japan into oblivion, crushed Japan into submission. The final blow? Two atomic bombs that left Japan reeling, immortalized in the darkly humorous phrase: "Hiroshima is full of well-done people."
This self-sabotaging tendency of Japan—turning well-planned strategies into complete disasters—can be attributed to its short-sightedness. Strangely, the Japanese remain oblivious to this pattern and continue stirring up trouble internationally.
Take the current situation: as Turkey struggles against the combined pressure of the U.S. and the British, Japan believes it can quietly support Turkey, causing losses for the Western powers and redirecting U.S. attention away from Japan. If successful, this strategy would indeed provide Japan with some breathing room.
On paper, it seems like a solid plan. But no matter how flawless a strategy may be, it hinges on choosing the right partners for execution.
And were Japan's chosen allies reliable?
Hell no.
If Turkey were dependable, that would be a miracle!
As for India? Ha! Who were they trying to fool? Betting on India as a teammate was sheer lunacy. Japan had yet to learn just how India would backstab them in the coming years over the high-speed rail project—one that Japan itself was financing and supporting.
Give it a few years, and Japan would come to realize just how much of a liability India truly was.
But for now, the three nations were allies, united against the U.S. and the British—India's former colonial overlord—while supporting Turkey, their embattled partner.
Of course, political agreements between governments were one thing; the meeting in Bangalore among representatives of these nations' intelligence agencies was an entirely different matter.
Their primary objective? Targeting Castle, the man at the heart of this entire mess. Not only did they seek revenge, but more importantly, they were still determined to obtain his technology.
Recently, all three nations—Turkey, India, and Japan—had been digging through various intelligence channels to assess the true extent of Castle's technological capabilities. What they discovered left them astounded.
Not only had Castle developed a semi-intelligent flight control system and advanced drone designs for Northrop Grumman's bid for the next-generation U.S. military UAV program, but he also possessed groundbreaking expertise in engine modification, missile technology, and explosives formulation.
For India, which harbored grand ambitions of becoming an aerospace powerhouse…
For Japan, which had long suffered under U.S. technological dominance…
For Turkey, dreaming of reviving the glory of the Ottoman Empire…
Castle had suddenly become the ultimate prize.
Thus, this shadowy meeting in Bangalore was convened to devise a plan for acquiring Castle's knowledge.
After all, Castle's innovations were entirely self-developed, and due to various factors, he operated outside the U.S. military-industrial complex and its national labs. This meant that if they could successfully kidnap him, the U.S. wouldn't even have a strong legal basis to retaliate.
For these three nations—desperate for technological advancements—this was an irresistible temptation.
Adding fuel to the fire, Castle had been directly or indirectly responsible for the troubles each of these nations now faced. With old grievances piling onto new ones, their intelligence agencies saw no reason to hesitate.
The potential rewards were simply too great. If they succeeded in extracting Castle's knowledge, the technological leap for their nations would be monumental.
Of course, Japan was the only one truly capable of fully absorbing these technologies. But Turkey and India, full of blind confidence in their own scientists, were oblivious to this reality. The result? A perfect alignment of interests.
As the intelligence chiefs conspired, Castle—now a full-time dad in New York—was already monitoring their meeting in real-time through Jarvis.
Thanks to his privately-owned satellite, which had been repositioned over India at his command, Castle had direct surveillance of the meeting.
With modern communication technologies, most people—especially those attending high-level meetings—carried smartphones equipped with cameras. Even though the intelligence heads had taken security precautions, none of them realized that, against the world's only true AI, their encrypted phones were utterly defenseless.
In theory, intelligence professionals should have strong operational security awareness. However, given that this was a high-level meeting attended by top officials, they had let their guard down.
After all, India had confidently assured them that the venue was completely secure. As guests, they had to show some respect to their host, right?
And as everyone knew, security protocols and strict confidentiality measures were mostly enforced on field agents and low-level operatives. The big bosses sitting in offices? They rarely followed their own rules.
"I make the rules. Why should they apply to me?"
This lapse gave Castle the perfect opportunity. Sitting in his private "war room" at his Long Island estate, he eavesdropped on every detail of their scheme.
Listening to the conversation unfold, Castle couldn't help but laugh.
Japan, ever the master manipulator, was skillfully egging on the hot-headed Turks and the clueless Indians. Knowing full well that Castle was not someone to be trifled with, Japan had no intention of taking direct action. Instead, it was pushing Turkey—still seething with anger—and India—still lost in its own delusions—into making the first move.
Meanwhile, Japan planned to stay in the shadows, providing funding and logistical support without directly involving its own personnel. That way, if the operation failed, it could distance itself and avoid facing the wrath of the U.S.
Sneaky, despicable, and utterly infuriating.
Yet, Japan and its accomplices had no idea that their entire plan was being broadcast live to their intended victim.
If only the U.S. government were still under the war-hungry Republicans instead of the more restrained Democrats. If only Castle had been able to align himself with the right-wing hawks. If that were the case, he would have personally ensured that these three conspiring nations paid dearly.
But alas, the current political climate was more restrained.
For now.
Either way, one thing was clear:
The intelligence chiefs had settled on their plan—Castle would be lured out of the U.S., and once he was outside American soil, they would kidnap him.
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